Cosplay Pikachu
Cosplay Pikachu (Japanese: おきがえピカチュウ Clothes-changing Pikachu) is a variant female Pikachu that is able to be dressed up into five different costumes corresponding to each of the five Contest conditions (Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness), and learn exclusive moves, which are linked to these costumes.
Without a costume, Cosplay Pikachu has the appearance of a female Pikachu with a black heart on the tip of its tail (fitting the heart-shaped notch all female Pikachu have on their tail).
In the core series games
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, after the first time the player takes part in a Pokémon Contest Spectacular, an NPC will give the player Cosplay Pikachu because according to her it matches the player's costume; the Cosplay Pikachu she gives the player will be in the Pikachu Rock Star costume for male players or the Pikachu Pop Star costume for female players. When obtained, Cosplay Pikachu will have its Hidden Ability and its Contest condition in each category is equally elevated. Cosplay Pikachu cannot be Shiny.
Cosplay Pikachu can switch between costumes at any time by going to any Contest Hall in the Hoenn region and talking to the Pokémon Breeder in the green room. This Pokémon Breeder can also remove the costume.
Upon removing a costume, Cosplay Pikachu will forget the special move associated with the previous costume. Upon putting on a new costume, Cosplay Pikachu will learn the special move associated with the new costume. When changing costume, if Cosplay Pikachu knows four moves but not the special move of its previous costume, the player will be prompted to replace a move with the new exclusive move (Cosplay Pikachu cannot put on the new costume unless it does). If Cosplay Pikachu's only known move is the special move and the costume is removed, then it will learn Thunder Shock. Cosplay Pikachu can remain in a costume even if it forgets the associated special move.
Unlike other Pikachu, Cosplay Pikachu is in the No Eggs Discovered Egg Group, meaning it cannot breed. It also cannot evolve into Raichu and is unaffected by the Eviolite. Like any Pikachu, though, Cosplay Pikachu is affected by the Light Ball.
Cosplay Pikachu cannot be deposited in Pokémon Bank, nor can it be traded via Wonder Trade or Global Trade System.
Gift Pokémon
Contest properties
Male player character
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Female player character
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Battle properties
Male player character
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Female player character
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In the spin-off games
Pokémon GO
Pikachu Libre appears in Pokémon GO, where it can only be caught during a potential reward encounter for Trainers that have at least reached rank 10 (Legend since Season 6) in the GO Battle League.
Pikachu Pop Star and Pikachu Rock Star were both added in the game as part of Pokémon GO Fest 2021. They can be obtained from Special Research occurring during the event and are mutually exclusive to each other.
Pikachu, Ph. D. was added in the game on March 1st, 2024 as the reward for getting the platinum Showcase Star medal.
Those Cosplay Pikachu, like in the core series, are always female.
Pokkén Tournament and Pokkén Tournament DX
- Main article: Pikachu Libre (Pokkén)
Pikachu Libre was first announced alongside the Wii U port of the game (standard Pikachu is also a character). Pikachu Libre was later released as an additional fighter on the original arcade version.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Pikachu Libre is one of Pikachu's alternate costumes in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Pikachu Libre in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Alernate Fighter Spirit artwork of Pikachu Libre
In the anime
Main series
Pokémon the Series: XY
Five Pikachu wearing the Cosplay Pikachu outfits appeared in Lights! Camera! Pika!, under the ownership of Frank. Out of these, Pikachu Rock Star and Pikachu Libre were shown to be regular male Pikachu, while the others were female Pikachu with a black heart marking on their tails like in the games.
Frank was filming a Pikachu movie, with Pikachu Libre acting as the villain and the others as residents of Pikachu Land. Seeing Ash's Pikachu, he decided to give it the role of the movie's hero, "Super Pikachu". With Ash and his friends helping out, the movie was successfully filmed and completed.
Multiple Cosplay Pikachu also appeared in the extra scenes of the Poké TV program for XY101, called Performer News, in which they were seen performing in Pokémon Showcases.
Pokémon movies
One of each Cosplay Pikachu variant appeared in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, amongst the multiple Pikachu summoned by Hoopa as part of a prank against Ash and his Pikachu. After initially panicking due to their new surroundings, the entire Pikachu horde, including the Cosplay Pikachu, was calmed down by Ash's Pikachu and sent back to their original homes in an orderly fashion with the help of Hoopa's portals.
Pikachu Rock Star
Pikachu Belle
Pikachu Pop Star
Pikachu, Ph.D.
Pikachu Libre
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc
In Salamence Evolves, Cosplay Pikachu were introduced to Chaz by Lisia. Lisia revealed that Ruby created the concept of Pokémon wearing costumes for Contests, and even made matching costumes for their Trainers to wear. There are several Cosplay Pikachu, all but one of which are male; the only exception was Pikachu Pop Star. They reappeared in a flashback in Slowbro Has an Idea.
Pokémon UNITE Manga - Come On Over to Aeos Island!
In Pokémon UNITE Manga - Come On Over to Aeos Island!, during Zirco's Holowear, Zirco thinks of Pikachu Pop Star as he describes Pokémon Contests as having "pizzazz". Pikachu Pop Star is depicted with the heart shaped tail and black mark, indicating that it is female.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Cosplay Pikachu in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Cosplay Pikachu Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
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| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
| Cosplay Pikachu | 
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XY-P Promotional cards | 099/XY-P | ||||
| Pikachu Libre |
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XY Trainer Kit: Pikachu Libre & Suicune | 14/30 | XY-P Promotional cards | 247/XY-P | ||
| XY Trainer Kit: Pikachu Libre & Suicune | 30/30 | ||||||
Pokémon Pins
Pikachu Libre was released as a pin for the TCG.
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| Release Date | August 17, 2016 |
| Release Information | Gamescon |
| Description | Pin featuring Pikachu Libre |
Merchandise
Pikachu Libre Special Pack
The Pikachu Libre Special Pack (Japanese: マスクド・ピカチュウ スペシャルパック <セブン＆アイ・ポケモンセンター限定> Masked Pikachu Special Pack <Seven & I•Pokémon Center Limited>) was released alongside the Fever-Burst Fighter and Cruel Traitor expansions on June 17, 2016 exclusively at Pokémon Centers and Seven & I owned store chains such as 7-Eleven and Ito-Yokado. It features the Cosplay Pikachu variant Pikachu Libre as an exclusive promotional card and comes with 2 Fever-Burst Fighter booster packs and 2 Cruel Traitor booster packs.
Promotional card:
- Pikachu Libre (XY-P Promo 247)
Product image:
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Trivia
- Cosplay Pikachu shares several similarities with Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver's Spiky-eared Pichu. Both are female-only variants of the Pikachu evolutionary line who were introduced in remakes. They are both incapable of evolving, breeding, or being transferred to later games. They also both cannot be obtained as Shiny, though Shiny models do exist in the game code for them.
- Despite no longer being present in the game data of the Generation VII games, a poster featuring Pikachu Pop Star can be seen on the wall in Totem Mimikyu's room in the Thrifty Megamart.
- In most official books, these costumes are stated to have come from Kanto.
- Cosplay Pikachu's costumes are often not considered distinct forms of Pikachu:
- In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Cosplay Pikachu is registered as a single form, in its uncostumed appearance.
- In Pokémon Bank, Cosplay Pikachu is not registered as a form at all.
In other languages
Cosplay Pikachu
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Pikachu Rock Star
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Pikachu Belle
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Pikachu Pop Star
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Pikachu, Ph.D.
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Pikachu Libre
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See also
- For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Pikachu.
- Pikachu Libre (Pokkén)
- Pokémon cosplay
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This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms. |
